Gorges du Fier
On Gingerguide's self-guided Annecy audio tour, Gorges du Fier is a stop worth about ~60 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type nature
- Suggested visit ~60 min
- Annecy Annecy guide
About Gorges du Fier
A dramatic narrow limestone gorge near Lovagny, just west of Annecy, crossed by an 1869 cliff walkway suspended about 25 metres above the churning river Fier below.
The Gorges du Fier is a narrow limestone gorge in the commune of Lovagny, about 11 kilometres west of Annecy in Haute-Savoie. It was carved by the torrent of the river Fier over roughly 20,000 years of glacial meltwater erosion. In 1869 the Annecy architect Marius Vallin fixed a walkway to the cliff face, allowing visitors to pass through the gorge. This passerelle runs for more than 250 metres and hangs about 25 metres above the water.
Inside, the water has shaped giants' kettles, a large fissure and a rock formation known as the roche aux fées, while the gorge opens at its far end into a chaotic rock field called the Mer de Rochers. Flood marks record the torrent reaching about 24 metres in January 2018. The site has been classified as a protected natural site since 1943 and now operates as a ticketed, seasonal visitor attraction reached along the cliff walkway.
Did you know? The cliff walkway is no modern engineering feat: the Annecy architect Marius Vallin bolted it to the rock in 1869, and visitors have been threading the gorge on it ever since.
How much time do you need at Gorges du Fier?
Around ~60 min works well for Gorges du Fier — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Gorges du Fier?
Yes — Gorges du Fier made the cut as one of 12 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Annecy. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Annecy
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Gorges du Fier and read more:
Day 2 of the Annecy in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Gorges du Fier
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